The Vancouver Whitecaps may be leaving Vancouver after 50 years 

The city of Vancouver has been in shock since the Vancouver Whitecaps announced that they are seeking a new home in the next year or two. 

Vancouver’s major league soccer team owner Greg Kerfoot cited stadium issues and fan attendance as being behind the change.  

Fan attendance hasn’t been the best with the stadium holding up to 54 thousand people, but they have only been selling around 25,000 tickets per game over the last year or two, leaving half the stadium empty.  

While the number of fans attending has been going down, ticket prices have been going up. If you wanted to sit in the lower bowl of the arena, a ticket would cost around $120 to $160. 

Jane Talbot, CEO of the downtown Vancouver Business Improvement Association, says, “It’s not just about the financial impact; it’s about culture, vibrancy, and the energy these game days bring to downtown Vancouver during the nights of the game.”  

Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim is now urging both the province and team ownership to ensure the Whitecaps remain in the city. ‘’Losing the Whitecaps is not an option,” Sim said. 

Moving the team would be a major loss for the city of Vancouver where the Whitecaps have played for over 50 years. 

One 15-year-old Whitecaps fan told 8forty that he’s “gutted” about the situation. “Vancouver possibly losing one of its most successful teams due to financial issues really disappoints me,” he said. 

The team has built a dedicated, if not large, fanbase. One group of superfans known as the Southsiders stands behind the away net every game and chants all games. Ever since the announcement, they have been bringing signs and posters with the words “SAVE THE CAPS” on them. 

In December 2024, the club was put up for sale by its current ownership group which includes Greg Kerfoot, Steve Luczo, Jeff Mallett, and former NBA star Steve Nash with an asking price, but the price was not disclosed. 

For now, the Whitecaps remain in Vancouver, but Vancouver soccer fans are bracing themselves to possibly lose their team. If that happens, fans will have to adjust. 

“Id probably lose interest in the MLS,” the student told 8forty. “I might support Toronto FC instead.” But it wouldn’t be the same, he says. 

“I don’t really have any ties to Toronto or Montreal.”